Most Dangerous & Safest Counties in California

California has 51 counties with crime data. The county with the highest homicide rate is Modoc County at 17.3 per 100K , while the safest is Napa County at 1.6 per 100K .

9 of 51 counties (18%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100K. All rates are per 100,000 residents and come from County Health Rankings, which compiles data from the CDC, FBI, and other federal sources.

Metric

Most Dangerous Counties in California

Top 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
1 Modoc County 17.3 per 100K +116.3%
2 Kern County 12.0 per 100K +49.8%
3 Trinity County 11.3 per 100K +40.9%
4 Del Norte County 9.8 per 100K +22.5%
5 San Joaquin County 9.5 per 100K +18.4%
6 Lassen County 8.8 per 100K +9.7%
7 Fresno County 8.5 per 100K +6.7%
8 Lake County 8.5 per 100K +6.3%
9 Glenn County 8.1 per 100K +1.0%
10 Solano County 7.9 per 100K -1.6%

Safest Counties in California

Bottom 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
51 Napa County 1.6 per 100K -79.4%
50 San Luis Obispo County 1.8 per 100K -77.3%
49 Marin County 1.9 per 100K -76.6%
48 Placer County 1.9 per 100K -75.9%
47 San Mateo County 2.1 per 100K -73.8%
46 Orange County 2.3 per 100K -71.4%
45 Sonoma County 2.4 per 100K -70.0%
44 Santa Clara County 2.4 per 100K -69.9%
43 El Dorado County 2.5 per 100K -69.1%
42 Tuolumne County 2.6 per 100K -67.3%

All 51 Counties Ranked

Every county in California ranked by homicide rate. Click any county for its full profile.

# County Homicides
1 Modoc County 17.3 per 100K +116.3%
2 Kern County 12.0 per 100K +49.8%
3 Trinity County 11.3 per 100K +40.9%
4 Del Norte County 9.8 per 100K +22.5%
5 San Joaquin County 9.5 per 100K +18.4%
6 Lassen County 8.8 per 100K +9.7%
7 Fresno County 8.5 per 100K +6.7%
8 Lake County 8.5 per 100K +6.3%
9 Glenn County 8.1 per 100K +1.0%
10 Solano County 7.9 per 100K -1.6%
11 Humboldt County 7.8 per 100K -2.7%
12 Tulare County 7.7 per 100K -3.6%
13 San Bernardino County 7.5 per 100K -6.0%
14 Merced County 7.4 per 100K -7.0%
15 Monterey County 7.4 per 100K -7.3%
16 Yuba County 7.4 per 100K -8.0%
17 Siskiyou County 7.2 per 100K -10.0%
18 Madera County 7.2 per 100K -10.5%
19 Kings County 7.2 per 100K -10.6%
20 Amador County 6.8 per 100K -14.5%
21 Mendocino County 6.8 per 100K -14.9%
22 Alameda County 6.7 per 100K -15.9%
23 Tehama County 6.7 per 100K -16.9%
24 Los Angeles County 6.4 per 100K -19.6%
25 Sacramento County 6.3 per 100K -20.8%
26 Shasta County 5.9 per 100K -26.7%
27 Contra Costa County 5.6 per 100K -29.9%
28 Imperial County 5.5 per 100K -31.9%
29 Sutter County 5.1 per 100K -35.8%
30 San Francisco County 5.0 per 100K -37.6%
31 Riverside County 4.7 per 100K -41.8%
32 Calaveras County 4.4 per 100K -45.5%
33 San Benito County 4.1 per 100K -49.1%
34 Stanislaus County 3.9 per 100K -51.2%
35 Butte County 3.8 per 100K -52.0%
36 Santa Barbara County 3.8 per 100K -53.1%
37 Ventura County 3.3 per 100K -59.4%
38 Nevada County 3.1 per 100K -60.9%
39 Santa Cruz County 3.0 per 100K -61.9%
40 San Diego County 3.0 per 100K -63.1%
41 Yolo County 2.9 per 100K -64.1%
42 Tuolumne County 2.6 per 100K -67.3%
43 El Dorado County 2.5 per 100K -69.1%
44 Santa Clara County 2.4 per 100K -69.9%
45 Sonoma County 2.4 per 100K -70.0%
46 Orange County 2.3 per 100K -71.4%
47 San Mateo County 2.1 per 100K -73.8%
48 Placer County 1.9 per 100K -75.9%
49 Marin County 1.9 per 100K -76.6%
50 San Luis Obispo County 1.8 per 100K -77.3%
51 Napa County 1.6 per 100K -79.4%

About This Data

All figures are estimates from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CDC, FBI, NCHS), published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Values are subject to sampling variability and margin of error.

Rankings are within California only and may differ from national rankings. For more information, see our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous county in California?
The county with the highest homicide rate in California is Modoc County, at 17.3 per 100,000 residents. This is 116% above the national rate of 8 per 100K.
What is the safest county in California?
The county with the lowest homicide rate in California is Napa County, at 1.6 per 100,000 residents.
How does California's crime rate compare to the national average?
9 of 51 counties in California (18%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in California has the most firearm fatalities?
Trinity County has the highest firearm fatality rate in California at 30.5 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in California has the most drug overdose deaths?
Lake County has the highest drug overdose death rate in California at 86.4 per 100,000 residents.